Year of Auguftus, being chofen Conful the eleventh time, Rome together with Calpurnius Pifo fell into fo dangerous 731. a fickness, that his life was defpaired of: but An tonius Mufa, his phyfician, whom he had made Quod fi Threicio blandius Orpheo Non lenis precibus fata recludere, Quicquid corrigere eft nefas. Lib. 1. Ode 24. (p) Dio, lib. 53. fourth Eclogue. (q) See the note on ver. 8. of the youth youth is celebrated. The Poet reprefents his hero Year of Sic pater Anchises; atque haec mirantibus addit : Aeneas having feen this future hero, takes notice of (r) Aen. lib. VI. ver. 854, &c. Atque Year of 731. Atque hic Aeneas, una namque ire videbat Sed nox atra caput trifti circumvolat umbra. Heu pietas! heu prifca fides! invictaque bello Virgil is faid to have read the fixth Aeneid to Auguftus, in the presence of Octavia, who fainted away, when he pronounced the words Tu Marcellus eris; and afterwards made the Poet a prefent of ten Seftertia (s) for every line, amounting in the (5) Eighty pounds, fourteen fhillings and feven pence fterling. whole whole to above two thousand pounds fterling. The Year of reward was great: but the verfes were Virgil's. Rome 732. The Ethiopians, who inhabit the inner part of 731. Africa, which lies above Egypt, being led by their Queen Candace, invaded Egypt, and plundering all before them, penetrated as far as the city Elephantina (t). But when they heard, that Caius Petronius the governour of Egypt, was marching against them, they retreated: but being purfued by Petronius, they were overtaken, and driven into their own country, where he deftroyed fome of their towns, and compelled Candace to fue for peace. To this victory Virgil feems to allude, in the fixth Aeneid (u), where he mentions the conquefts of Auguftus being extended even beyond the torrid zone: fuper et Garamantas et Indos Proferet imperium: jacet extra fidera tellus In the mean time, Auguftus went into Sicily; and during his abfence there were great tumults about choofing Confuls (w): hereby he was convinced, that it was not yet fafe, to truft the government again in the hands of the people. At the beginning of the year, Marcus Lollius was the fole 733. Conful; because they reserved the other place for Auguftus: but when he refused the office, Quintus Lepidus was chosen in his room. When he had settled the affairs of Sicily, he proceeded to Greece: and thence proceeded to Samos, where he spent the winter. (t) Dio, lib. 54. (u) Ver. 794, &c. (w) Dio, lib. 54. Year of In the fpring, he marched into Afia, where he rewarded and punished every province according to 733 it's defert. Phraates being afraid of his arms, reftored the ftandards and captives, which had been taken by the Parthians. His march against these people is alluded to in the feventh Aeneid (x): Sive Getis inferre manu lacrymabile bellum, Hyrcanifve, Arabisve parant; feu tendere ad Indos, Auroramque fequi, Parthofque repofcere figna. At this time Auguftus, was fo dreaded by the Eaftern Nations; that they all fought his favour and the very Indians who had before fent Ambaffadors to him (y), now entered into a league of peace, and fent him many prefents (x). Caefar gloried of having fubdued these nations by his authority, against whom the Roman armies had hitherto fought in vain. To this fuccefs therefore our Poet feems to allude, in the second Georgick (a), when he fays, that Auguftus difarmed the Indians by his arts of government: Te maxime Caefar, Qui nunc extremis Afiae jam victor in oris, It could not well have been before this time, that (x) Ver. 604. (y) Eufebius fixes the time of the Indians fending their Ambaffadors to be in the year 728. "Ol. CLXXXVIII. 3. Indi ab Augufto per legatos "amicitiam poftularunt." Eufeb. Chron. &c. (z) Dio, lib. 54. (a) Ver. 170, &c. |